Russia announces to launch its own TikTok

MOSCOW: Russia has announced to launch of its most popular video-sharing application in the style of popular TikTok.

The Russian video-sharing app is owned by Katrina, Putin’s daughter. According to Russian media, the country’s leading media company affiliated with Gazprom-Media, the largest energy company under the influence of the government, has decided to launch the TikTok app.

Gazprom-Media CEO Alexander Zharov said that the TikTok will be developed in collaboration with a foundation run by Putin’s daughter, Katrina Tikhonov. According to Alexander Zharov, his media company has also bought a service for Russian bloggers. This project will be completed in the next 2 years.

The Gazprom Group is one of Russia’s semi-official energy corporations. The company has Russia’s largest media network, which includes several media channels and radio stations. Earlier this month, Gazprom CEO also announced the launch of two YouTube-style websites that will be completed in the next two years. The app will support the sharing of short vertical videos, similar to the Chinese social network TikTok.

In recent years YouTube has become an increasingly popular platform for young Russians, with some of the most-watched channels raking in tens of millions of views. It has also become a source of independent news and an alternative to the main TV channels that are mostly under state control.